My Birthday Takes a Dark Turn
by Remnant of Life
Summary: The final storm on the horizon. Kronos has risen again, and is seeking vengence for his long inprisonment. Yet there may be a way to stop him for good, but Percy must be willing to risk everything to bring the Titan Lord down... *Spoilers from LO*


**Author's Note: **_**Hey everyone! So, this is my first Percy Jackson fanfiction, so please be gentle with it; I'm not a very experienced fanfiction writer. But, moving on. This is a quick one-shot that takes place at the end of Battle of the Labyrinth and is written from Nico's point of view, because I was wondering what was going through his head when he and Percy were talking. Enjoy!**_

Well, after a few weeks of hunting, I thought I had found an answer to the prophecy. I had very possibly found a way for Percy to survive his fight with Kronos, quite possibly the _only_ way Percy could survive. I had no other leads, and this was by far the best one I had found. The only thing left for me to do was to run my idea past Percy. That was kind of important, seeing as he was the one who had to go through with it if he went along with my idea. Which I wouldn't be surprised if he was hesitant about, seeing as the plan was extremely dangerous, and I didn't know all the details yet.

I shadow traveled to Percy's apartment, materializing out of the darkness right next to my friend on the fire escape, just in time to see him planting a small silver bud in a garden box by the light of the full moon. "Nice plant," I said, letting him know I was there.

Percy jumped, obviously not aware that I had been next to him, which I wasn't surprised by in the slightest. Shadow traveling allows a person to appear silently out the darkness without notice.

"Sorry," I said. Didn't mean to startle you."

"That's—that's okay. I mean… what are you doing here?"

Guess I really startled him. Percy, son of Poseidon, usually didn't get shaken up this easily. Not that that made me feel any better. Actually, I was exhausted. Shadow travel really wipes out my energy. And judging by the way Percy was looking at me now; I guess he could see that I wasn't at a hundred percent.

"I've done some exploring," I said, trying to start off the conversation with something that Percy might be interested in, and not just jump right into telling him my plan. "Thought you'd like to know, Daedalus got his punishment."

"You saw him?" Percy asked, interested.

I nodded. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for eternity, but my father had other ideas. Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix of the weekends."

"That's good."

I tapped at my new silver skull ring that rested on my finger; a habit I had fallen into whenever I get nervous. "But that's not the real reason I've come," I admitted. This was it; the moment of truth. "I've found out some things. I want to make you an offer."

"What?"

"The way to beat Luke. If I'm right, it's the _only _way you'll stand a chance."

I was quiet while I watched Percy's face, waiting to see his reaction to what I had said. Worst case scenario, he turned me down flat without hearing me out.

Instead, he took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening."

I'll admit, I was pretty relieved that he was willing to listen to me without acting suspicious about the whole idea. It had been a while since anyone had really trusted me. I glanced over his shoulder into his room, thinking it might be best to tell him inside and not out in the open. Plus, I felt like my legs were going to give out any minute now. I saw what was sitting on his dresser and swallowed hard, inwardly praying Percy hadn't noticed. "Is that… is that blue birthday cake?"

I'll be honest; I don't think I've ever actually had a birthday party in my life. But when you're a son of Hades and had been stuck in some weird hotel for seventy years where time seems to freeze, it's kind of hard to remember something like a birthday. And I _know_ I wasn't able to keep the hunger out of my voice when I said that. Before I'd looked into his room, I had been reasonably fine, maybe a little faint from shadow traveling and lack of sleep, but no worse than that. Now, I realized that I was starving. When had I last eaten? Gods, I had no idea. Being on the move constantly and usually being around people that were dead made me forget that I was alive and needed to eat. Until I saw food and actually became aware of how hungry I was, anyway. Like right now, for example. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that it was empty and begging me to feed it, and I really hoped that Percy hadn't heard it.

I'm guessing, he did, though. "Come inside for cake and ice cream. It sounds like we have a lot to talk about."

I sighed inwardly in relief and nodded. "Thanks."

He nodded, giving me a small smile and stepping aside so that I could pass him into his room. It was pretty nice; much better than mine, anyway. At least his room had a somewhat nice view of the outside world; unlike mine, seeing as the only window in my room looked out on the Fields of Asphodel. If you've never seen it, don't worry. You're not missing much.

Percy picked up the slice of cake from his dresser and handed it to me, causing my stomach to growl even louder. "Don't worry," he said, apparently seeing my hesitant expression. "We've got enough left over. My mom made two, because Tyson was coming. Trust me; I don't think she'll mind if you have some."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks, but I'm not sure if I should." I set the cake down on the bed and sat down next to it, trying my best to ignore the ache in my hollow stomach. "Anyway, I can't stay for that long. And I need to talk to you about how to beat Luke."

Percy's face darkened. "Right," he said quietly. He leaned against his dresser and met my eyes evenly. "So, what's your offer?"

I didn't say anything for a bit, trying to think of a way to explain. "Well, like I said, I've been doing a lot of looking around, and I think I found the way for you to survive. But, it's dangerous. There's a chance you might not survive."

Percy nodded silently. "What's your plan?"

"It's what I think Luke did. If I'm right, the only way for you to beat Luke is to bathe in the Styx. The water will make you invulnerable, impossible to kill in battle except for one spot that'll be your Achilles' heel, so to speak. The only thing is, it's possible that you'll be killed if this doesn't work. The trick is to think of something that makes you want to stay mortal. It could be anything, or anyone, as long as it's willing to make you stay mortal."

Percy didn't say anything for a while. I could tell he was weighing his options, trying to decide what to do. "I don't know," he said. "It sounds really risky, and I don't know if I'm ready to take a step like that."

"Well, think about it," I told him, standing up. "You don't have to make the decision right now. We've still got a little bit of time left. But not much. So just let me know what you decide when you do. And remember, my sister gave her life to save yours. Keep that in mind when you're making your choice."

"I will."

"Well, then, I'll see you around. I'll try to keep in touch when I can."

"Hang on." I stopped and turned back to him, curious.

Percy crossed the room and grabbed the cake that I had left on the bed and handed the plate to me again. "If you're gonna be leaving so soon, at least take that for the road. Just in case you need something to eat along the way."

I hesitated, then sighed softly. "Thanks," I told him quietly, taking the plate. Nodding to him, I turned and headed out the door onto the fire escape, slipping back into the shadows. I'd ask him again, once he had time to think things over. In the meantime, I had some hunting of my own to do. I needed to have a serious talk with my father about my past, and my mother.

_**How was that? Good, bad? Let me know please! And thanks for taking the time to read this. Ja ne!**_


End file.
